High Street Phoenix, formerly known as Phoenix Mills, is one of the largest shopping malls in India, situated in Lower Parel , Mumbai Its gross floor area is 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m2). In addition to the mall, the compound hosts a five-star hotel, a multiplex, commercial space and a residential tower.
High Street Phoenix (HSP) has more than 500 stores, premium (including Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali, Bally Shoe, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Chanel, Dolce Vita, Emporio Armani,Jimmy Choo) as well as budget friendly options (FabIndia, AND, Benetton, Zara, Lifestyle). It is owned by The Phoenix Mills Co.Ltd., led by Managing Director, Atul Ruia. HSP houses a variety of F&B, entertainment, commercial and residential complexes. The mall consists of the Palladium, SkyZone and Grand Galleria. South Asia’s largest 20 lane bowling concourse, was first started here in 1996. India’s first Hyper market concept Big Bazaar was introduced in 2001 at High Street Phoenix.
History[]
Phoenix Mills was originally started in 1905 to manufacture cotton textiles in Bombay. The company, which has been listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange since 1959, is owned by the Ruia family.
There have been a few instances of dispute between workers and the mill owner. In 1938, the Bombay government ordered firing at workers who were peacefully protesting the proposed Bombay Trades Disputes Bill. The workers at Phoenix Mills went on strike between 11 April 1939 and 1 November 1939, demanding an increase in pay. Phoenix was affected by the general strike that shut down all mills in Mumbai (then Bombay) for over a year in 1982–83. Mumbai's mills went through a turbulent time in the 1980s and '90s owing to labour unrest in addition to higher operating costs of a mill inside Mumbai, making mills such as Phoenix loss-making and nonviable entities. The management chose redevelopment of mill land, which had high commercial value. Sections of the mill were still operational when redevelopment began with the establishment of the Bowling Co. Workers were unhappy with the management's decision, alleging that it was illegal.
HSP was developed in 1987 on the company’s textile mill land in Mumbai and is currently a 3.3 million sq ft retail mall.
Redevelopment[]
Phoenix was one of the first mill companies to go in for redevelopment; the compound has been redeveloped and includes a luxury tower, hotel and shopping mall whereas the chimney is reminiscent of its past as a mill. While existing structures have been retained due to government rules, they have been refurbished and additional structures have been built around them in phases. In 1977, a fire destroyed its spinning units and the company decided to replace the area with a 28-story residential tower which came up in 1992. By the late 1990s, Bowling Co, India's first bowling company and sports bar, and a night club, Fire and Ice, had been built at Phoenix mills, which was facing trouble with keeping afloat as a mill. Standard Chartered Bank too moved its offices into Phoenix Mills, taking a 30,000-square-foot area in 1998.
In 2007, Phoenix joined up with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to run a five-star hotel for them at in the Phoenix Mills compound. Today, High Street Phoenix, which is divided into the Palladium and Grand Galleria, hosts brands such as Burberry and Zara at the higher end and Big Bazaar at the lower end. PVR Cinemas runs a multiplex at Phoenix. In 2010, Hamleys opened its first store in India at High Street Phoenix.